Shoe comb and attachment

ABSTRACT

This invention relates generally to an improved, tapering shoe comb adapted for use in detachable connection with a hair clipper and more particularly to a shoe comb which is attached to the hair clipper by means of a semipermanent base piece which is attached directly to the bottom of the clipper so that it may be practically employed with clippers which do not have sufficient extra width of the stationary comb plate for other means of attachment.

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(lei-cone Mar, M, T972 [54] ST-llUE (10MB AND ATTACHMENT 3,149,418 9/1964 Milbourne ..30/20l [72] Inventor: Daniel Cercone, 212 Cedarville Street, 2: Pittsburgh, Pa. 15224 1 [22] Filed: Apr. 3, 1970 Primary ExaminerTheron E. Condon v Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters [21] Appl' 25377 Att0rneyT. H. Murray [52] US. Cl ..30/20ll {57] ABSTRACT [51] Hnt. Cl ..B26b 119/20 This tnventlon relates generally to an improved, tapering shoe {58] meld of Search" 202 comb adapted for use in detachable connection with a hair clipper and more particularly to a shoe comb which is at- [56] References Cited tached to the hair clipper by means of a semipermanent base UNITED STATES PATENTS piece which is attached directly to the bottom of the clipper so that it may be practically employed with clippers which do not have ufficient extra of the stationary comb plate for 1,745,997 2/1930 Kocourek .....30/201 Other means attachment 2,317,928 4/1943 Martell.... .....30/200 2,780,868 2/1957 Brown ..30/200 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR 14 I972 3,6d8,37O

DAN/EL CERCO/VE A 7' TOR/V5 V SI-IOIE ICOMIII AND ATTACHMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many persons engaged in the cutting and styling of hair employ a detachable shoe comb in combination with a conventional hair clipper. The function of such shoe combs is to provide a depth gauge so as to space the cutting teeth of the hair clipper a predetermined distance above the scalp of the patron. Since various hair styles require different lengths of hair a barber must necessarily maintain a supply of several detachable shoe combs having teeth of a selected vertical height to result in the desired length of hair.

The general construction of such detachable shoe combs is one providing a central support body member having a plurality of transversely spaced forwardly extended teeth which are upwardly reversly spaced forwardly extended teeth which are upwardly reversly bent in a configuration so as to receive the cutting head of a hair clipper. A large number of attempts have been made to devise a tapering shoe comb adapted for detachable connection to a conventional hair clipper permitting a plurality of positions of adjustment to accommodate a wide range of selected lengths of hair, such as that described in the US. Fat. to Cordova, No. 3,267,572 wherein a shoe comb is attached to the stationary comb plate of the clipper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention comprises a hair clipper of the type common in the trade having a stationary comb plate provided with a plurality of forwardly extended transversely spaced teeth laterally opposed marginal edges and a rearward edge. Attached to the stationary comb plate I provide a shoe comb base piece adapted for detachable connection to the stationary comb plate. The base piece comprises a flat main body having sides extending laterally beyond the edges of the stationary comb plate. The base piece has means for attachment to the main body of the clipper comprising a pair of arms extending forward of the base piece with hook ends for grasping the front edge of the stationary comb plate and a U-spring mounted toward the rear of the base piece for grasping the clipper at the rear above the stationary comb plate.

A shoe comb is provided comprising a pair of laterally opposed guide walls transversely spaced at a distance to receive therebetween the marginal edges of the base piece and having interior slots therein for receiving the edges of said base piece. In addition, means are provided interconnecting the shoe comb and the base piece for adjusting the longitudinal location of the shoe comb with respect to the base piece.

The invention itself is defined specifically in the appended claims however the invention will be more fully understood from reading the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation view of a hair clipper on which is mounted a tapering shoe comb embodying the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base piece in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shoe comb in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 41 is a rear elevation view partially in cross section of a shoe comb and base plate in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention taken along the line 4-4 FIG. ll.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view from the rear of a shoe comb and base plate in accordance with an alternative embodiment of my invention showing the means for adjustment of the location of the shoe comb.

FIG. I; is a side elevational view of the shoe comb of FIG. 5.

In FIG. I, l have shown a conventional hair clipper III which comprises in the interior thereof an electric motor of the vibrator type. The motor is energized through a pair of electrical conductors II connected to a suitable source of electrical energy. The clipper It) includes a cutting head adapted to effect a shearing action on the individual strands of hair of a person.

The cutting head includes a stationary comb plate rigidly secured to the clipper and a mobile shearing plate In slidably mounted on the upper surface of the stationary comb plate, and adapted for transverse reciprocation under the influence of the motor of the clipper. Both the stationary comb plate 115 and the moveable shearing plate In are provided with respective transversely spaced forwardly extended cooperating teeth. The relative longitudinal locations of the teeth on the moveable shearing plate and the teeth on the stationary comb plate may be adjusted by means of an adjusting lever I7. For most purposes in accordance with this invention the adjustment will be set for a close adjustment such as that usually designated as IIIIII by manufacturers of conventional hair clippers.

As shown in FIG. 2 I provide a base piece comprising a flat main body Id having attached thereto a pair of forwardly and upwardly extending arms I9 having hook ends 2t) for clasping the front edge of the stationary comb plate of the clipper. The base piece 11% near its center and extending rearwardly up and over and forward so that when the base piece is in position on the clipper the tip or end of the spring 2i engages the clipper just above the rear portion of the stationary comb I5 of the clipper. Thus the base piece can be firmly attached to the clipper in a semipermanent condition. The spring is so tensioned as to tend to move the base piece rearwardly and upwardly so that the hooks 20 on the base piece front attachment arms I9 grasp tightly onto the front edge of the stationary comb IS.

The shoe comb as shown in the drawings has seven teeth 22, 23' In the preferred embodiment of my invention the shoe comb should have at least seven teeth and preferably more.

Referring to FIG. 3 it will be seen that the teeth are attached to a crosspiece 24 and that all of the intermediate teeth 23 have their upper surfaces sloped upward toward the end thereof, while the two side teeth 22 have their upper surfaces in a straight line parallel to the crosspiece 2d. The two side teeth 22 have longitudinally extended guide walls projecting upwardly therefrom on either side of the stationary comb of the clipper while the intermediate teeth 23 lie below the stationary comb. Inten'or grooves 26 oppositely disposed, are provided in the guide walls projecting upwardly from the side teeth 22 for receiving and retaining the base piece Id.

The shoe comb can be selectively positioned so that its teeth assume any one of the broken-line positions shown in FIG. I. For convenience of the operator, the shoe comb is calibrated on the left side to indicate the longitudinal location of its positron.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and h I provide a handwheel 2% having attached thereto an axle 3i) which in turn is attached to a driving wheel 32 located between the crosspiece 24!- of the shoe comb and the base piece It The driving wheel 32 may comprise a cog wheel which would cooperate with indentations in the baseplate, or, alternatively, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention as shown in the drawing, the driving wheel 32 comprises a treaded rubber wheel which rests against the shoe comb in a traction condition.

The hand adjustment wheel 2% on the outside of the shoe comb is graduated so that a hair stylist can adjust the position of the comb to a predetermined position.

OPERATION The operation of the invention is believed to be readily ap parent and therefore is only briefly summarized at this point. The base plate 11h shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the clipper by first placing the plate in a position where the tip of the spring 211 engages the rear of the clipper III, just above the stationary comb plate IS. The base plate 118 is then forced forward and upward until the hooks on the front of the arms pass over the front edge of the stationary comb I5. At this point pressure on the base piece Ih is released and the spring causes the hooks to become seated against the front edge of the stationary comb.

The shoe comb is fitted over the base piece 18 by movement from the position forward of the base piece 18, rearwardly onto the base piece to a desired location, so that the edges of the base piece engage the longitudinal slots at the interior sides of the shoe comb. By setting the handwheel 28 in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 at a predetermined position before inserting the shoe comb onto the baseplate, the moving mechanism will be calibrated automatically to conform to the actual longitudinal position.

The clipper with the shoe comb mounted thereon is now ready for operation and may be adjusted for any situation that the hair stylist may normally encounter. Since the shoe comb is attached to an intermediate base piece and does not depend on the narrow side overlap of the stationary comb plate for security, it can fit tightly on any standard clipper and will not be inadvertently or accidentally slipped off.

lclaim:

1. In combination with a hair clipper having a comb plate provided with a plurality of forwardly extending transversely spaced teeth, laterally opposed marginal edges and a rearward edge; the combination of a shoe comb base piece adapted for detachable connection to said stationary comb plate and comprising a flat main body having marginal edges extending laterally beyond the edges of said comb plate, means detachably connecting said shoe comb base piece to said comb plate, a shoe comb having intermediate teeth and two side teeth connected to said base piece thereof, a pair of laterally opposed longitudinally extending guide walls projecting upwardly from said side teeth, and facing grooves in the interior surfaces of said guide walls for receiving the marginal edges of said base piece.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said base piece comprises:

a pair of arms extending from the forward edge of said base piece main body and hooking over the forward edge of said stationary comb plate;

and a curved spring that engages the rear of the clipper above the stationary comb plate, said spring being attached to the rear of the base piece and extending rearwardly from the point of attachment and then curving up over itself and forward of the point of attachment.

3. In combination with a hair clipper having a stationary comb plate provided with a plurality of forwardly extended transversely spaced teeth, laterally opposed marginal edges and a rearward edge;

a shoe comb base piece adapted for detachable connection to said stationary comb plate and comprising a flat main body having sides extending laterally beyond the edges of said stationary comb plate;

a pair of arms extending from the forward edge of said base piece main body and hooking over the forward edge of said stationary comb plate;

a spring attached to the base piece that engages the rear of the clipper;

a shoe comb, having intermediate teeth and two side teeth,

connected to said base piece in selective positions of adjustment longitudinally thereof and comprising a pair of laterally opposed longitudinally extended guide walls transversely spaced at a distance to receive therebetween the marginal edges of said base piece, the intermediate teeth having respective upper edges lying in a common plane obtusely angularly related to said base piece and the side teeth having their respective upper edges lying substantially in a plane parallel to said base piece. 

1. In combination with a hair clipper having a comb plate provided with a plurality of forwardly extending transversely spaced teeth, laterally opposed marginal edges and a rearward edge; the combination of a shoe comb base piece adapted for detachable connection to said stationary comb plate and comprising a flat main body having marginal edges extending laterally beyond the edges of said comb plate, means detachably connecting said shoe comb base piece to said comb plate, a shoe comb having intermediate teeth and two side teeth connected to said base piece thereof, a pair of laterally opposed longitudinally extending guide walls projecting upwardly from said side teeth, and facing grooves in the interior surfaces of said guide walls for receiving the marginal edges of said base piece.
 2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said base piece comprises: a pair of arms extending from the forward edge of said base piece main body and hooking over the forward edge of said stationary comb plate; and a curved spring that engages the rear of the clipper above the stationary comb plate, said spring being attached to the rear of the base piece and extending rearwardly from the point of attachment and then curving up over itself and forward of the point of attachment.
 3. In combination with a hair clipper having a stationary comb plate provided with a plurality of forwardly extended transversely spaced teeth, laterally opposed marginal edges and a rearward edge; a shoe comb base piece adapted for detachable connection to said stationary comb plate and comprising a flat main body having sides extending laterally beyond the edges of said stationary comb plate; a pair of arms extending from the forward edge of said base piece main body and hooking over the forward edge of said stationary comb plate; a spring attached to the base piece that engages the rear of the clipper; a shoe comb, having intermediate teeth and tWo side teeth, connected to said base piece in selective positions of adjustment longitudinally thereof and comprising a pair of laterally opposed longitudinally extended guide walls transversely spaced at a distance to receive therebetween the marginal edges of said base piece, the intermediate teeth having respective upper edges lying in a common plane obtusely angularly related to said base piece and the side teeth having their respective upper edges lying substantially in a plane parallel to said base piece. 